Protection through Vigilance
by Numbah 175
Summary: Dr. Holiday is drained, physically and emotionally. Will Six be the one to pick up the pieces?


**A little story for ****SEMPAIKO's Fan fiction Contest. **

Dr. Holiday rubbed her eyes. She had been working for a few days straight, trying to figure out Rex's new nanite. Thanks to _somebody _(Bobo) spilling to White Knight about the nanite, she'd been ordered to figure it out, anyway she can.

Since then, she'd been working around the clock, trying to figure it out. She did scans on it, she tried to copy it, she did everything imaginable, but she still couldn't figure out its secrets.

_It's never been this hard before. Am I losing my edge? _She leaned against the desk, thinking about it. _Sometimes I wish Rylander were still here. He had to know how this thing worked._

She straightened up again and walked over to her computer. She couldn't stop now. Rex and White were counting on her, and even if she didn't care what White said, she wasn't about to give up.

Six entered the lab, quiet as ever. Dr. Holiday didn't even notice, she was so tired and focused on her work. Not that she would have noticed anyways. People only noticed Six if he let them. And that was rare in of it self.

Six walked up behind the doctor, two coffees in hand. He figured she would need these. She may have tried to hide it, but Six saw how hard she had been working, the many long nights she'd been working in the lab. Six didn't do midnight walks for nothing.

Yet, he couldn't figure out why he was there. Why did he care about her getting sleep? It wasn't his problem; she wasn't placed under his watch like Rex. So why did he do it?

"Why are you still up?" Six said. Dr. Holiday jumped, startled from her sleep induced thoughts. She turned around, her hand at her heart.

"Six! You scared me!" She panted a little bit and then turned back to the computer, her hand leaving her heart.

"That doesn't change the question. Why are you still up?" He asked her again. She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Because White Knight ordered me to find out what Rex's new nanite does and how it does it. I swear, I'm going to kill that monkey for spilling."

"Unless I kill him first." Six meant it too. He would kill Bobo for making the doctor work this late. _Wait a minute, since when did I start caring about Holiday's workload?_

He took the cup of coffee and placed it in her hand. She closed her hand around it and lifted it to her lips, drinking in the warmth. It may not have tasted good, but it did what it was supposed to do.

"3 sugars, 2 creams. You know me too well." She gave him a half- smile and turned to the computer again, her shoulders starting to slump. Six came up behind her.

"You need your sleep. You can't work properly if you are overtired." Six placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rex needs you."

"I know. That's why I'm doing this. If Rex knows how to control this new nanite, then he might be able to, oh, I don't know, do something with it?" She plopped her head onto the keyboard, a small huff of annoyance escaping her lips.

Six sat down next to Dr. Holiday, giving her a familiar look. She glanced up at him and gave him a sad little smile.

"It's just that, even if I do figure out this nanite, how will it help? He still doesn't have any specific control over it. This little project isn't doing anything other than depriving me of sleep and thought." She rubbed her eyes. Six noticed how big the circles under her eyes had gotten.

He sighed. He knew what she needed, but that was something that he couldn't give unless he completely forgot his training. Maybe he should call Rex? No, it was too late for that.

Sighing again, he got up, gently pulling the doctor up with him. Holiday froze, her mind unable to comprehend what Six was doing.

Six wrapped his arms around Holiday, but not before glancing around the room to make sure nobody was there. Holiday, still in shock, wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her head on his chest.

They stood that way for a while, not moving. Holiday was trying to come up with a reason for Six to be doing something so out of character. He wasn't sick, that much she could tell, and he hadn't been showing any signs of going EVO.

That left only one other possibility, but it was the most ridiculous of them all. Could Six actually care about her? About the way she felt?

Holiday blushed and leaned into him. _Don't worry about why; just be glad that it's happening. _She closed her eyes; finally giving into the one thing her body had been craving since the beginning of the project, sleep.

Six rested his chin on her head. He could feel her breathing slow and her body relax. He took a breath, not realizing that he'd been holding it the whole time.

Six decided that Dr. Holiday didn't need to wake up lying on the floor, and he wasn't going to stand there forever. Carefully as not to wake her, he slipped on arm under her knees and the other around her back, effectively carrying her.

He walked out the door and hurried down the hall, trying to avoid anybody seeing that. He heard footsteps.

Quick as lighting, he dashed into the room that was closest which happened to be the break room. He placed Holiday on the couch facing the opposite direction as fast as he could, slipping into the shadows himself.

The footsteps got louder, and stopped at the door. Six's grip tightened around the handle of one of his katanas. The footsteps picked up their pace and slowly faded away. Six breathed a sigh of relief and released his grip.

He walked back over to the couch ready to pick Holiday up again and carry her to her room, but something he saw made him change his mind.

Holiday was snug on the couch, a throw pillow under her head and a dreamy expression on her face.

_She'll be alright for the night._ Six opened the door and was about to leave when he heard some noises coming from the couch. He was instantly over there, the door still open.

Holiday was twisting and turning in her sleep, a look of pain on her face. Almost instinctively, Six came around the couch and kneeled in front of her, gently stroking the side of her face. She calmed down at the touch of his hand.

Six sat down on the part of the couch next to Holiday. He crossed one leg over the other and stretched one arm across the back of the couch. He started thinking some more. _Why do I try to comfort her, or protect her? She knows how to take care of herself._

Holiday sensed his heat and snuggled up to Six, placing her head with the pillow in his lap. She mumbled something that no one would have been able to hear. No one, that is, but Six.

Six froze. She didn't say that, did she? Yet, she said it again, a little louder. "I love you… Six."

Six stiffened up, the sudden showing of affection not normal to him. Everything he had been thinking about came back to him, along with the answers.

He cared about her getting her sleep because if she didn't then Six would feel bad, even though it wasn't his fault. He cared about how much work she did because he didn't like to see her overworked. He tried to protect her and comfort her because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to her.

One more question came to mind, along with an answer. _Why do I think this way about her?_

As he stroked her face gently, the answer came to mind. _Because I love her too._

Six's hand slowly rose from her face to onto the back of the couch, maintaining a calm demeanor again. He rested his cheek on his chin.

Six's mind flashed to the last time that he had cared about somebody like that. She had been killed by an EVO because he couldn't protect her. That wouldn't happen again.

That night, Six didn't sleep at all. All night he was alert, watching for anybody who would try to hurt or take advantage of her while she was defenseless. He watched guard over Holiday, keeping her safe from anything that could hurt her.

And if anybody tried to hurt her in the future, they would have to answer to him.


End file.
